


A First Kiss

by AutisticWriter



Series: Cuddles [25]
Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Alcohol, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Canon Queer Relationship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Episode: s02e02 The Austere Academy Part 2, First Kiss, Fluff, Frostbite, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Kissing, Multi, One Shot Collection, Polyamory, Pre-Canon, Prompt Fill, Sleep, Smoking, Snakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-16 09:38:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14161989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: A collection of ficlets featuring first kisses.Cuddle number 25: with a first kiss





	1. Charles/Sir

Charles looks at the man he knows as Sir, a fond smile on his face. They have known each other for a long time, but the relationship has always been platonic. At least, it was on Sir’s side. Because Charles has always loved him.

But now… he thinks their relationship is changing. He thinks they are getting closer. At least, he hopes they are.

Sir has invited him over for drinks at his home, the house he owns on the grounds of his lumber mill. Apparently, Sir isn’t the best boss, but Charles knows it’s pointless to talk about work with Sir. After all, it is always very difficult to change his mind.

Still, Charles can’t help but be excited when Sir lets him into his house. He gets hit by the smell of smoke and tries not to cough.

“Hello, Sir,” he says.

Behind the cloud of cigar smoke, he sees Sir smile. “Hello, Charles.”

Sir takes him into the living room, a large room with expensive paintings on the walls and a fire burning in the fireplace, and they sit in opposite armchairs. He offers Charles a glass of brandy, and Charles takes it. He has never been much of drinker, but he sips the brandy as he chats to Sir. They make meaningless small talk, but then Sir leans forwards and clears his throat.

“Charles, there is a reason I invited you here,” he says.

Charles stares at him. He assumed as such, but he doesn’t say anything.

“You see, I have been thinking about getting a partner to help me run the mill. And I would like that person to be you.”

Charles smiles, a fluttering sensation in his stomach. “Why, Sir… I’m honoured. I would love to work with you.”

“I thought as much,” Sir says. He reaches forwards and gives Charles’ arm a pat. “Well, I look forwards to working with you.”

Charles grinning, they fall back into silence. He sips the brandy, wondering why people like to drink this stuff, because it is disgusting.

He looks at Sir, studying his face (or what he can see of it through the cloud of smoke). He has no idea why he loves Sir, but he always has. And now they are going to be working together, here, at this factory, all day long. He smiles, so glad that this has happened.

“Charles?”

Coming out of his daze, Charles sees Sir looking at him. “Yes, Sir.”

“There is actually something else I wanted to ask you,” Sir says. His voice is different, an almost… apprehensive tone to it.

“Is there?” Charles says, wondering why the room suddenly seems so awkward.

“Yes… As you know, Charles, we have known each other for many years now. And… I was wondering if you would like to become a second kind of partner to me. A… romantic partner.”

Charles stares at him, amazed. Did Sir really just say that?

He coughs awkwardly, watching Sir drag deeply on his cigar. He blushes, his face flushing an embarrassing shade of red.

“Well… yes, I would,” he says eventually, his voice more wobbly than intended. “I would love that, Sir. I have… admired you for a long time and… to be honest, I always wished this would happen.”

Sir clears his throat, putting his cigar in the ashtray. The smoke disperses somewhat, and Charles can more clearly see Sir’s face. He is also red, a rare smile on his face.

“Sir?” Charles says, hoping he isn’t about to overstep things and ruin their relationship before it really begins. “May I kiss you?”

But Sir doesn’t mind. In fact, his smile gets broader. “You may.”

And Charles feels his heart beating so fast he hears it in his ears. He puts down his glass and stands up. Trembling slightly, he steps towards Sir and leans down over him. Sir tilts his head up, and then Charles presses their lips together. The kiss lasts less than two seconds, and then Charles is pulling away, bright red and sweating.

“Thank you, Sir,” he says.

Sir smiles. “That was very pleasant, Charles. Can I kiss you?”

He nods. “O-Of course.”

And so Sir puts his hand on the back of Charles’ neck and pulls him down again, and it’s his turn to press their lips together. Sir pulls him closer, an arm around his back, and Charles lets his arms wrap around Sir as they kiss. He pushes Charles’ lips apart and deepens the kiss, and Sir’s mouth tastes of smoke and brandy.

It is nearly a minute later when Sir breaks the kiss. Charles smiles, painfully red but so very happy.

“Thank you, Charles,” he says.

And as Charles wonders what his life is going to be like now, they kiss again.


	2. Gustav/Monty

As the Screeching Iguana clock blares, Gustav walks into the Reptile Room. A notebook tucked under his arm, he checks that his spyglass is still in his pocket, and hopes that Dr Montgomery won’t question his disappearance. But it turns out that he isn’t going to have to create an excuse for his absence, because Dr Montgomery is fast asleep at the far end of the room, slumped in an armchair with a book open on his lap.

He smiles fondly, knowing how his boss likes to sit up most nights and read, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This certainly isn’t the first time Gustav has found Dr Montgomery asleep in the middle of the day.

Not wanting to wake him, Gustav clears some space at the desk and opens his notebook. He and Dr Montgomery are working on making a book about the new snake they discovered on their last expedition, with Dr Montgomery writing the text and Gustav providing detailed illustrations and diagrams. Thinking about the snake makes him chuckle, because he remembers how Dr Montgomery made a joke about calling this harmless snake the Incredibly Deadly Viper, just to scare his fellow Herpetologists. And knowing Dr Montgomery, he will probably end up doing just that.

For the rest of the afternoon, Gustav draws high quality illustrations of the huge black viper, using his rough sketches and his view of the real snake across the room as a guide, whilst Dr Montgomery snores softly in his sleep.

\---

Monty awakes to a stiff neck and the sensation of a snake slithering around his ankles. He opens his eyes, but relaxes when he realises that the snake is just his harmless new discovery, a snake that will probably soon be known as the Incredibly Deadly Viper. Monty smiles at the snake and looks out of the huge window, noticing that it is getting dark outside. Just how long was he asleep?

He turns his head, his stiff neck shooting pain down his back, and spots Gustav. His assistant is sat at the desk, drawing with one of his expensive liquid ink pens. He must be working on the illustrations for their book. Monty smiles; Gustav is so good at drawing.

Careful not to spook Gustav and make him ruin his drawing, Monty untangles the snake from his feet and stands up. He walks towards Gustav and clears his throat softly.

Thankfully, Gustav doesn’t jump. Instead, he puts down his pen and smiles at Monty. “Hello, Dr Montgomery. I see you’ve finally woken up.”

Monty smiles, his face heating up, and Gustav chuckles.

“Sorry for sleeping for so long,” Monty says. “I have just been so tired lately. How has your afternoon been?”

“Very subdued,” Gustav says. “I’ve just been working on the illustrations of the snake with pending name.” He looks at Monty, an eyebrow raised. “Are you still thinking of calling it the Incredibly Deadly Viper?”

Monty laughs. “Yes, I am. I just think it will be so amusing to play a joke on them all at the Herpetological Society. Maybe then they’ll stop mocking me for my name.”

Gustav smiles. Monty walks closer and looks at Gustav’s work. The paper is crisp and white, a half-finished drawing of the snake in the centre. The detail is exquisite, everything about the snake looking bright and incredibly realistic.

“Your art is truly magnificent, you know,” he says.

To Monty’s amusement, it is Gustav’s turn to blush. “Thank you, Dr Montgomery.”

“Gustav, how many times?!” Monty says, raising his eyebrows. “Please call me Monty.”

“Very well, Monty.”

Monty smiles, a fluttering sensation in his chest. Gustav using his first name makes Monty wonder if their relationship may be drawing closer. After all of these months, may they actually be friends, rather than doctor and assistant.

Although… Monty must admit that he would like their relationship to be something more than friendship. It is rather embarrassing, but he has feelings for Gustav, and Monty has to hope that Gustav might have feelings for him. But that is just wishing, because he is sure that a charming, intelligent, attractive man like Gustav would go for different type of person.

He must be blushing, because Gustav leans closer and puts a hand on his arm. Monty flinches.

“Are you okay?” Gustav asks.

“Y-Yes, Gustav. I’m just a bit tired.”

Gustav smiles. “Well, if you insist on reading all night…”

He laughs. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Inside the main house, the clock screeches, signalling that it is time for dinner.

So Monty smiles and steps backwards, and says, “Well, would you like to join me for dinner, Gustav.”

Mimicking his formal tone, Gustav stands up and says, “I would like that very much, Monty.”

And Monty, his face red, smiles as they walk together out of the Reptile Room.

\---

After they finish their meal (a takeaway; neither of them wanted to cook), Monty and Gustav sit at the dining table, talking about reptiles.

Monty leans his hand on his chin, watching Gustav as he talks about his work illustrating pictures of snakes. Gustav sees him looking, and Monty looks away far too quickly.

“Monty?” Gustav says, a slightly hesitant edge to his voice.

“Sorry, Gustav,” Monty says, smiling awkwardly. “I think I zoned out there.”

Gustav smiles. “You really are exhausted, aren’t you?”

“Yes…” Maybe it is because of his sleep deprivation, but Monty decides to steer the conversation in a completely new direction. “Um… Gustav… are you in a relationship with anyone at the moment?”

Gustav’s eyes widen slightly, but he doesn’t look shocked or uncomfortable. “No, I’m not. Why?”

“No reason,” Monty says, and his face burns.

But Gustav leans forwards in his seat, looking at him. “Monty, are you in love with me?”

Monty splutters, his cheeks burning even hotter as he stares down at the table.

“There is no need to be embarrassed,” Gustav says. Monty can’t look at him, but his voice is kind. “I just want to know.”

Monty avoids eye contact. But he nods his head.

“Monty, please look at me.”

He’s so embarrassed, but Monty raises his head. Gustav is smiling, actually smiling.

He reaches across the table and grasps Monty’s arm at the wrist. “Monty, I understand. All of this time I’ve been working here with you, I thought you had some sort of feeling for me. And… I’m glad to know I was right.”

Monty stares at him. Is he about to say what he thinks he is?”

“Because… now I know my own feels aren’t unrequited,” Gustav says, and Monty’s eyes widen.

“Do you mean…?”

Gustav nods, smiling that beautiful smile of his. “I do indeed. Monty, I am in love with you.”

He grins, nearly laughing but stopping before he embarrasses himself further. “That is wonderful, Gustav! Uh… may I hug you?”

“Of course.”

They both stand up and move away from the table. Suddenly nervous, Monty smiles awkwardly and opens his arms. And Gustav steps forwards and pulls him into a tight embrace. Monty leans against him, so amazed to be hugging his amazing assistant, the man who he loves and who loves him back.

When they pull apart, Gustav puts his hands on Monty’s shoulders, smiling at him. And then, slowly, he leans forwards and presses his lips to Monty’s. Shocked, but not protesting, Monty blinks. But then he loses his eyes and lets himself be lost in the kiss.

Slowly, the kiss ends. They move apart, but keep their arms around each other.

“Was that all right?” Gustav asks.

Monty smiles and kisses his cheek. “It was perfect.”


	3. Beatrice/Bertrand/Lemony

Lemony Snicket is in love with Beatrice Baudelaire, but he is also in love with Bertrand Baudelaire. Likewise, Beatrice is in love with her husband, but also Lemony, the man who loves her dearly and she wrote a long, long letter to explaining why they couldn’t be together. And Bertrand is of course in love with his wife, but he has more than a slight soft spot for Lemony, their close friend. These facts could lead this story to be about a cliché love triangle, but this is not one of those stories. Instead, this is the story of how three people in love begin a polyamorous relationship.

Once again, Bertrand opens the front door to find Lemony on the doorstep. His friend smiles.

“Hello, Bertrand,” he says.

Bertrand raises his eyebrows. “Good afternoon, Lemony. Would you, by any chance, like to come in?”

“I would love to come in,” Lemony says, deliberately ignoring the sarcasm in his voice.

Lemony wanders into the house, looking all around him as though looking for changes in his surroundings. Instead, he puts a hand to his mouth and calls, “Hello, Beatrice! Where are you?”

“She is putting Violet to bed for her afternoon nap,” Bertrand says, referring to their six week old daughter. “So I would prefer if you wouldn’t shout.”

Lemony smiles. “Fair enough.”

He walks past Bertrand and enters the main reception room. Lemony sits in his favourite blue armchair and puts his arms on the armrests, sighing contentedly. Hovering in the doorway, Bertrand studies his friend, wondering if he should say anything. However, he simply smiles and says, “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to find Beatrice.”

Lemony nods, and Bertrand heads up the stairs. He locates Beatrice as she leaves the nursery, and his wife gives him a confused frown.

“Bertrand?” she says, studying him. “Is something wrong?”

“Lemony is here,” Bertrand says, irritated to find his face flushing red. “And I was wondering if we should talk to him about what we discussed last night.”

Beatrice looks at him. She nods, her cheeks pink, and grasps his hand. “Yes, I think we should.”

She presses a quick kiss to his cheek, and leads Bertrand back downstairs. They wander into the reception room, and Lemony smiles.

“Good afternoon, Beatrice,” he says. “Why are you so red, Bertrand?”

“Shut up,” Bertrand says.

And he and Beatrice sit down and prepare to have one of the most awkward conversations in their lives.

“Lemony,” Beatrice says. “We have something to ask you.”

Lemony frowns. “Is it VFD related?”

“For once, no,” Bertrand says.

Lemony sighs. “Good. So, what’s the matter? Has something bad happened?”

Beatrice shakes her head. “No… no…” She sighs and Bertrand watches her face flush. “Well, you know that Bertrand and I are married?”

Lemony stares at her. Bertrand, despite his nervousness, splutters with awkward laughter, before shoving his handkerchief in his mouth. Raising her eyebrows, Beatrice nudges him in the ribs.

“Well, yes, I do know that,” Lemony says, and there is a flash of jealousy in his eyes. “Why are you bringing it up?”

Bertrand manages to stop laughing, but then coughs. “Well, you see… Lemony, I know how you feel about Beatrice.”

Lemony makes a spluttering sound, and Bertrand almost laughs when he sees his friend blush. Managing to compose himself, Lemony smiles awkwardly and says, “Yes, I guessed you did. How is this relevant to anything?”

“Because…” Beatrice takes a deep breath, wondering how this can be more nerve-wracking than countless VFD missions. “We know how you feel about Bertrand too.”

It would be funny to see Lemony go a truly impressive shade of red if this wasn’t such a painfully awkward situation.

“You… you do?” Lemony says, faltering over his words.

“We do,” Bertrand says, and he manages to smile. “But there is no need to fret, Lemony. Because your feelings are not unrequited. In fact, they are quite enthusiastically requited.”

It takes Lemony a few seconds to process what was just said. But then he smiles, although he still looks slightly like he is close to vomiting. “Are they?”

“Yes, they are,” Beatrice says. “And that is really the entire purpose of this conversation. Because… we would like it very much if you would be in a relationship with us.”

Lemony stares at them, his eyes flicking between Beatrice and Bertrand. His smile gets brighter and the embarrassment seems to leave his face. “Are you talking about polyamory?”

Bertrand nods, grateful that Lemony knows what polyamory is (and also wondering why he ever thought that someone like Lemony wouldn’t know what it is); that will save them all from a very annoying conversation.

“Yes, we are,” he says. “Would you like to be in a triad with us?”

“Are you sure about this?” Lemony says. “Introducing another person to a relationship is a big thing. Especially when that person is as… complex as me.”

Bertrand and Beatrice exchange glances. They talked about this in detail, but they know Lemony is right. This sort of thing is a very big decision, such as deciding to have children or get married.

“We know that it might be difficult,” Beatrice says. “But we are prepared to do this. And… would you like to, Lemony?”

Lemony smiles and nods his head. “I would be honoured. Thank you.”

Beatrice smiles and stands up. She crosses the room and hugs Lemony tightly. Bertrand copies her, moving to put an arm around Lemony. He has never hugged Lemony before, but he enjoys the experience. And he knows that things will only get better from here.

\---

That evening, after Violet has been put to bed for the night, Lemony sits beside Beatrice and Bertrand on the couch.

“Bertrand?” Lemony says. “May I kiss you?”

Bertrand splutters, his face flushing. Thankfully, the room is dim, so it isn’t too obvious.

“I apologise,” Lemony says, frowning slightly. “I didn’t mean to cause you… distress. I was just thinking about how, if we are to be in a relationship like we decided, it seems that we will kiss at some point. I have kissed Beatrice in the past, but I have never kissed you. And I was wondering if we might share our first kiss now.”

Bertrand looks at him, swallowing. He doesn’t know why Lemony’s question made him so flustered, but it really did. But he would like to kiss Lemony, very much so.

So he smiles and says, “No, I understand. And I would like to kiss you.”

“Wonderful,” Lemony says, smiling.

Beatrice looks at the pair, smiling. It makes her happy to see them bonding, knowing it will help their new relationship for everyone to bond like this.

And as Beatrice watches and Bertrand blushes, Lemony leans forwards and press at chaste kiss to his lips. When he pulls away, he has the most handsome smile on his face, and Bertrand kisses him again. And he reaches for Beatrice’s hand and interlinks their fingers as he kisses Lemony, knowing their new polyamorous relationship is going to work wonderfully.


	4. Jacques/Larry

When the door opens – or to be more specific, is kicked off of its hinges – Larry thinks he might be dreaming. Or he thinks he might be dying and this is all a desperate fantasy being produced by his brain as it shuts down. After all, he is so painfully cold, his fingertips and ears developing frostbite as his body spasms with shivers, and he is lost track of the amount of time he has spent trapped in this freezer.

But when he steps forwards to see the person in the doorway, their figure nothing more than a silhouette, Larry’s stiff leg wobbles and he stands on the side of his foot, cricking his ankle. Pain shoots up his leg, and Larry knows this is totally real.

And the figure steps forwards, and Larry is so amazed to see Jacques Snicket enter the freezer. Smiling, Jacques says, “Did anyone order a taxi?”

He just can’t believe it. He thought he was going to freeze to death in here, but Jacquelyn sent Jacques to come and save him. Larry is quite spaced out, barely noticing what is going on around him. but he does notice when Jacques picks him up bridal style, holding his freezing body close to his own. Larry leans against him, his stiff limbs sticking out awkwardly.

And then Jacques is carrying him through the kitchens of this horrible school, a place he knows well and has never particularly liked (but he has hated it especially the last few days). It should feel wonderful to be out of the cold, but Larry finds his freezing skin aching horribly, his skin starting it itch.

Things seem to be going well, until they run into that horrible girl. Larry groans, expecting more verbal abuse – but Jacques is here now. He defends Larry, telling Carmalita to leave him alone, calling Larry his friend, and finishes the whole thing with calling her a ‘cakesniffer’.

Larry would laugh if he didn’t feel so ill. Instead, he smiles weakly and mumbles, “My hero.”

Soon, they exit the school and Jacques walks over to his taxi. He helps Larry onto the back seat and wraps a blanket around him, and Larry cherishes the warmth.

“Th-Thank you, Jacques,” he mumbles.

Jacques smiles. “It isn’t a problem. Are you feeling any better now you’re out of that freezer?”

“A bit. But I still feel awful.”

“That’s understandable. Just let me drive us away from this place, and then I can stop and give you some well needed first aid.”

Larry smiles weakly and wraps the blanket tighter around himself.

He doesn’t remember a lot of the journey, drifting in and out of fitful sleep as his frostbitten skin burns and he shivers and shivers. Larry remembers the gentle movements of the taxi driving along, he remembers Jacques on the telephone to someone (probably Jacquelyn), and he remembers the warmth in the pit of his stomach as he thinks about the driver of this taxi.

He has known Jacques for a long time, and has loved him for as long as he can remember. He is so skilled and smart and handsome, and the sort of Volunteer Larry always wanted to be but was never quite good enough to be. Basically, he is a wonderful man, and Larry is hopelessly in love with him. And Jacques saving his life like this really is the icing on the cake.

At some point, the taxi stops. Larry opens his eyes and sees gas pumps; they must have stopped at a gas station. Jacques gets out and opens the door of the back seat, looking down at Larry.

“I have a first aid kit in the trunk,” he says. “And I think I need to help you out.”

Larry smiles and shuffles into an awkwardly sitting position. Jacques grabs the first aid kit from the trunk of his taxi and gets into the seat beside him. First of all, Jacques takes out a small foil packet and opens it, forming a huge emergency blanket. He covers Larry with it, tucking it under his legs and wrapping him up tightly.

“Is that any better?”

Larry nods and the blanket crinkles. “Much.”

Jacques sticks a thermometer in Larry’s mouth and helps him slip a pair of thick gloves onto his stiff, frozen hands. Larry winces, his skin sore from the cold.

“Sorry,” Jacques says softly. “I don’t want to hurt you. Can I check that thermometer now?”

Larry opens his mouth and Jacques takes it out. He looks at the reading on the thermometer and frowns slightly.

“Is it bad?” Larry says.

“You have quite a severe case of hypothermia,” Jacques says. He presses the back of his hand against Larry’s forehead; his skin feels burning hot against Larry’s cold skin. “But you feel warmer than you were earlier.” He sighs and puts his arm around Larry, helping him wrap the blankets tighter around his shivering frame. “I wish I could have prevented this, Larry. It hurts me to think of you being put in harm’s way.”

Larry smiles weakly, finally starting to be able to move his stiff muscles again. “I know. But you saved me. You’re my hero.”

Jacques smiles. “Are you going to keep calling me that?”

Larry chuckles, even though he feels so stiff and achy. “Yes.”

And he wonders if it’s the adrenaline from his near death experience or just the wonderful feeling of sitting cuddled up with the man he loves so much, but Larry leans closer to Jacques and then he’s suddenly saying, “Jacques, c-can I kiss you?”

And Jacques stares at him, his eyes widening slightly. It dawns on him what he just said, and Larry feels some colour rush to his horribly pale face.

“Sorry,” he says, humiliated. “I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s fine,” Jacques says, to his total amazement. “And of course you can kiss me, Larry.”

“Really?”

Jacques nods. “Really.”

And so Larry shuffles as close as he can, turning his head and letting his chapped, cracked lips press against Jacques’. It is a soft yet awkward kiss, and he pulls away quickly.

“Thank you.”

Jacques smiles. “Thank _you_. So, are you warming up now?”

“Definitely. So… are you… wondering why I kissed you?”

“Not especially,” Jacques says, his eyes sparkling. “Larry, I’m an intuitive person. I know how you feel about me.”

“You… you do?” Larry says, his cold fingers starting to tingle painfully as they warm up.

“I do. And I return those feelings.”

And as a gobsmacked Larry stares at him with wide eyes, Jacques smiles and kisses him.


End file.
